Itsy Bitsy . . . . .

Is it just my imagination or are there a lot more spiders this fall than usual - I had thought that because we had such a cold winter there wouldn't be as many spiders . . . wrong!!  SPIDERS!!!  They are everywhere!  The stairwell at the condo is like spider central - you walk up or down looking side to side to keep an eye out for them.  They are on the walls - the ceiling - the railings . . ewwww -::shudder::  You would think we were setting up a haunted house! 

Last weekend when I was walking around the complex with Chrissy I saw a shadow out of the corner of my eye - I turned . . . . . hanging between a tree and some bushes was a huge spider web with an very large spider right in the middle of it!  I'm not kidding . . . . . it's body was the size of a quarter . . . . yes I'm sure . . . . . . no I'm not exaggerating . . . . . it was freakin' huge!!  It was one of those one that has a really thick round body - a teeny tiny head - thick furry legs . . .ewwwww  ::shudder::  On Sunday morning we happened to walk by there again - web still there - no spider!!  Oh great!!  Where the hell did it go!!  I was not waiting around to find out - we headed in a different direction.

Tonight I stopped at the mailboxes on my way home - it was dark because I left work at 730 (Qtr End!!)  I got out of the car and headed to my mailbox when I saw movement out of the side of my eye - right in front of the car in the light from the headlights - Yes . . . it was a SPIDER . . skittering along the driveway in front of my car. . . it wasn't as large as the one hanging from the trees . . but it was really fast!  I got the mail - stopped at the sidewalk to see if I could see it - quickly got in my car. 

Later I had to take Chrissy outside and as we were walking I just couldn't stop thinking about what was creeping along in the shadows - hanging from the trees - draped across the eaves.  Yeah . . we didn't stay out there very long! 

De

Updates

Three things have happened since I last blogged - I was going to write separate blogs on each but at night when I have turned on my computer I keep getting pulled in by my Mahjong games!!  So no Mahjong until I write tonight!

1. Sunday I attended a memorial service for my friend Stacy's dad - Ken Sindora.  I have known Stacy since I was in 4th grade - she was the first friend I made at my new school when we moved to Issaquah.  I remember going to her house for sleepovers and dinner and to just hang out.  Her Dad was always there with a big smile and a How Are Ya Doin' Kid! He used to call me Marvin!!  I don't remember how or why he started calling me that but it always made me laugh - and it still does when I think about it.  When Stacy and I  grew up and went our separate ways I would only see her Dad every once in awhile.  We would stop by the Sindora's on Christmas Day to see them and then there was always the Annual Sindora Picnic at Lake Sammamish.  No matter how long it had been he was always there with a hug.  He will be missed.
2. Fantasy Football - not doing to well so far this season.  I am a disappointing 0 - 3 - even the Cougars have a better record than I do!!  I think I am being punished for putting Cowboys on my team.  I know I shouldn't panic - so I'm not going to clean house and get rid of all my players - but they better start coming through for me!!
3. Now - the third thing that has happened is amazing. So . . . . . . make sure you're sitting down . . . . don't tip over in your chair . . . . . . I am getting my house back!! Yup - L and E have found a place to live and she is moving out this weekend!!  ::Happy Dance::  E found them a room to rent in a house.  The landlord owns multiple houses and he rents out the rooms - it is set up kind of like a dorm system.  They pay $600 a month ($300 a piece) and that includes electricity, water, cable, and Internet - all toilet paper, paper towels, laundry soap, and dish soap are provided so they just have to cover rent and food.  I am proud of the 2 of them - figuring this out,  I can taste my freedom!!  Of course - I won't crack the champagne until she is actually out of the house!

Quarter End starts this week but I will try to keep up on my writing.

De

Out of The Blue

Well here's one I haven't seen before - I got home today and looked in the kitchen to see what Chrissy was doing and I saw a piece of a ballpoint pen on the floor.  Closer inspection showed other pieces of the pen along with little blue paw prints across the kitchen floor!!  I started taking the gate apart so I could get her out of the kitchen - when she came towards me and turned around I saw a flash of blue.  She came back to me and I grabbed her - picked her up - and saw a rather large blue spot on her butt!!!  Oh good heavens!  WTH was going on while I was at work!

• Maybe Chrissy wanted to be more like her sissy L so she tried to give herself a tattoo!

• Maybe Chrissy heard about the dog who became a star on TV so she tried to make herself blue so she could be on Blue's Clues too.

• Chrissy watched The Lion King over and over and decided she wanted to be Mr. Blue Butt for Halloween!

• Chrissy is getting ready for Football Sunday and was working on getting painted in Seahawks colors!

Well - no matter what was going on - one thing is clear . . . . . . . . . . . I should never get anything in white . . . . . . I just can't keep it clean!

De

Windows

This morning when I was just about ready to head on out L came out of her room - started complaining about how cold it is in the house and giving me a hard time because I have some of the windows open.  I said I liked the fresh air and she said she did too just not when it was 35* outside - yeah, thinking it's not even close to 35*.  I told her that if she didn't like living in a house with open windows then she needed to move to her own place where she could keep everything closed.

I got home from work today to a clean kitchen!  After L left for work E stayed for about an hour and cleaned the kitchen and took out the garbage before he left to head back to Bellevue - so nice!  He only was here for a few days and he did more today than L has done in at least a month. 

Chrissy is hanging out on the couch with me right now chewing on her teething keys - this is actually her 2nd set of keys - she destroyed her first set!  She is starting to get in a routine - when it's time for bed I tell her to get her squirrely and she finds it and takes it in to the bedroom where she jumps on the bed and "hides" it.  Then I tell her to be cute and she puts her head down on her paws - this is kind of a hit and miss trick but she's getting the hang of it.  I rub her belly for a bit then it's time for her to go to bed in her crate. 

****Survivor Spoiler Alert If you haven't watched tonight's episode and don't want to know anything then stop right here****




Wow - the tribal council tonight was very dramatic!  I have never seen someone just lose it so quick in this game - they usually wait a bit before they start spouting off.  One guy - Shannon - called out another one - Chase - right at the beginning of the council.  He said he couldn't trust him and that if his "girlfriend" goes home tonight that he's next.  It went downhill from there - he wouldn't shut up - he then turned on one of the other guys - I think his name is Sash - out of the blue he asks the guy if he's gay - then says that everyone in New York is gay . . . . . the people in his alliance just stared at him and "Fabio" told him to be quiet . . . . . that he was ruining everything and just pissing people off!  Needless to say - he was voted out.  Interesting - the first 2 people voted out this season were ones that just couldn't keep their mouths shut at tribal council.  I lucked out that it was the "young" team that went to council because the gal I chose to go the farthest is on the "old" team and she started acting nutty on tonight's show - she grabbed a bucket of snails from a few people and said they weren't edible and dumped them all out - then she stole a guys pair of shoes from his bag, filled them with sand, and sunk them in the water.  Then she told him what she had done!!  On a side note - why would someone wear $1600 shoes to Survivor!  I mean really . . .after all these seasons you don't realize that when they get you all together the game has started - you don't get a chance to change. 

I am watching the season premiere of Criminal Minds right now - Tim Curry is playing a very disturbing character - he looks deranged.  I think I might have nightmares!!

De

Blog World

I found a new site by pure chance - did you know there is an Expo completely dedicated to Blogging - it will be in Vegas in a few weeks.  Who knew!!  This website has some pretty interesting stories about how to blog, issues bloggers have dealt with, and how to improve your followers experiences. 

I read an article on the site yesterday entitled Is Your Blog a Drunken Sorority Sister? I learned a few things that I have done wrong and got a few good ideas.  One thing - and I should have remembered this from previous situations - Never post anything when you are extremely emotional.  Type it up but don't post - wait until you have calmed down - reread it - make some changes and then post.  Yeah - I haven't always done that.  Probably could have avoided some issues at work if I had reread some posts before actually hitting publish. 

Another point they brought up was how to respond to comments - If you get defensive about a comment it could be because you’re unable to take the criticism and grow as a blogger.  I want to be able to grow as a blogger so please feel free to leave comments - anonymous ones are OK.  One thing I haven't figured out about comments though is - should I respond to comments in the comment section or should I post a blog to respond.  How would you like to see them? 

So I am going to work on my style - try to come up with different topics to write about other than what I did that day (although as drama happens I will definitely write about it) - and take comments to heart and grow as a writer.

De

D's Shuttle Service

I have a second job . . . . the hours suck . . . . there are no benefits . . . . . . and I don't get paid . . . . kinda sounds like being a housewife/stay-at-home Mom but that's not it.  I am a weekend shuttle driver.  I don't even remember applying for the job or accepting it.  I just woke up one day and discovered that's what I had become.  This morning as I was laying in bed - playing Plants -vs- Zombies - L came out of her bathroom and said E had just called and he would be at the P & R at 400 - I said OK - she said I would need to pick him up at that time because the 927 bus doesn't run on Sunday.  I then said that I was getting tired of being the Shuttle driver - I needed to take her to work by 11 then pick up E at 4 and then turn right back around and pick L up at 6 - Ridiculous!  She then asked what was she supposed to do and I told her that God gave them 2 good legs for walking!  I told her I would do it today but that I just wanted her to know that I was tired of being the shuttle driver and that her and E needed to start figuring out a different way of getting back and forth.

My Fantasy Football team sucked today!!  They went from scoring 136 last weekend to only 67 this weekend - stupid team!  One player scored nothing!  Wish I could call him and tell him to get his act in gear!  My season is off to an 0 - 2 start.  Why do I like football again? 

De

Cougar Bar

I went to a Cougar bar today . . . . . . . . No, not that kind of Cougar Bar . . . . A WSU Cougar bar!  Who knew there's been one in Issaquah this whole time!  The Joker Pub and Grill in a small strip mall on East Lake Sammamish.  I went there to watch the game today because it was only on special Football Package channels today - which I don't have.  I got there about 20 minutes before the game started because I wasn't sure how crowded it would be.  There was no parking left so I had to go over to where the Albertsons used to be and park in that parking lot - no big deal, it's just right across the street. 

It wasn't very crowded at the beginning but more people showed up as the game went on.  By the 2nd Quarter it was a full house!  Rowdy Crowd!  Tied score going into the half!  Yay!!  Then - the 3rd Quarter - they Coug'd it - lost the game 35 - 21 - we beat the spread though so I do believe Linds and Miss Kara will be wearing Seahawks Jersey's!!  In other news . . . at least the Huskies lost too! 

Got home around 430 - just in time to listen to L & E arguing. . . . E came out and asked if I could take him to the P&R right then cuz L was irritating him . . . L came out crying - they argued some more - went out for a smoke - came back all was fine.  Headed out around 510 to take him to the P&R to catch the bus . . Ooops - L looked at the weekday schedule not the Saturday Schedule so we missed the bus by 3 min and the next one wasn't for another hour.  Did I mention I have the word Sucker tattooed on my forehead - yup - I drove him to Lake Hills to meet up with the friend he is staying with tonight - he has to be at work at 8 tomorrow.  As long as we were in the area L & I drove by my old childhood home - looks so different - we then took the route I used to walk to get to school . . . funny thing . . . it wasn't uphill both ways! 

Been home for a few hours now - Just finished watching the movie Shooter . . pretty good movie. . . . Now Lara Croft The Cradle of Life is on . . . I like this movie - as long as I can forget that Angelina is a home wrecker!!  But I am getting tired and tomorrow is another long day of Football!  I also will be working on perfecting a Turtle Cupcake for a lunch crew birthday on Monday - I'm thinking of ways I can get caramel in the middle of the cupcake . . . . mmmmm . . .

De

Oh, I Could . . . . . .

Oh, I Could . . . . . You really need to be careful with what you put after those words.  You just never know what's gonna happen.  You just might find yourself in the situation I found myself in today.  Have you ever done anything that when going in to it you tell yourself this is the stupidest thing I've ever done!

A few months ago while with the lunch crew the conversation turned towards food and somehow we started talking about Krispy Kremes and how good they are - One person said "Oh, I could eat a dozen in one sitting"  another person said "Me Too"  and I agreed!  They are light and fluffy and taste so good.  Then someone else piped up with "No Way"  and this conversation ended with One person laying down the challenge that she would supply the donuts because she wanted to see us do it.  Over the months that followed the guys wouldn't let it drop because they wanted their free donuts . . . I just hoped it would never happen.  Well . . . . it did!  Today was the day . . . the donuts were brought in . . . .we took our places . . . . . and we started.  Yeah . . . . it seemed a lot easier in my mind . . . . . the boys were able to do it . . . . I was only able to eat 6 . . . which is about 4 too many!  I learned many things today -

1. A box full of Krispy Kremes is very intimidating
2. There is such a thing as too much sugar
3. Lots of sugar gives you a buzz
4. When crashing from the sugar rush you get very tired and get a headache
5. I will never eat another Krispy Kreme for a very long time
6. Most Importantly - Never Ever Ever say You could eat a (insert amount here) of (insert food here) because someone just might call you on it and lay down the challenge!!

Yes - this was one of the stupidest things I have ever done!  It is something I would normally keep to myself but . . . . I have said I would keep this blog open and honest -the good, the bad, and the ugly!  

OK - Thought provoking question.  Why is it that when a guy does something like this it is fine but when a girl does it she is judged? Are girls not allowed to do stupid things?

De

Observation

Let me paint a picture - it is 530 and I leave to head home.  Get to the lobby of the building and see that it's raining - oh well, it's not that far of a walk to the bus tunnel and I can walk under the building awnings most of the way there - or that's what I thought!  Explain to me why - if you have an umbrella and said umbrella is open and over your head - do you need to walk on the inside of the sidewalk next to the building and out of the rain?!?  Shouldn't you be walking on the outside edge with your big ol' umbrella and let the poor people who thought it was supposed to be sunny today walk on the inside so they can stay dry!  And while your walking on the inside - do you really need to have the umbrella down so low that other people have to move out of the way so you don't poke them in the eye!  Really!!

Bus Etiquette Please!  When the bus pulls in to the final stop . . . let's say . . . Highlands Park & Ride . . . . the way that you get off is orderly - polite - and it moves fairly quick.  If you happened to be one of the last people to get on the bus and you are sitting in the very back then that means you will be one of the last people off - or at least that's the way it should go.  Instead - both times I've ridden the bus this week - a person from the back of the bus has started walking down the aisle to the front of the bus before the bus has even pulled up to the stop.  Really . . . . you're in such a hurry to get home that you can't be polite.  Either I am just really really nice or some people are just really really unaware of those around them.

Survivor is back on tonight - not real thrilled that it's been moved to Wednesday but oh well.  Tonight I have to study all the players so I can make my pick for the work pool.  Gotta pick top girl and top guy and then out of the two who will win it all.  Last season I believe I was the first person out of the game - lost my girl week two and then my guy shortly there after.  Hopefully I make it a bit farther this time!  Tribes are split up into Young Ones - Under 30  and Old Ones - Over 40.  So do you pick from the young tribe or the old tribe - maybe pick one of each.  Decisions Decisions!

Going in to tonight's show I had 2 guys in mind to pick - just realized they've already been chosen!  So do I make a duplicate pick and hope my girl goes farther than theirs - that's the tie breaker.  OK - time for the first survivor voted out. ********SPOILER ALERT********* If you haven't watched then stop reading here.


I called it!!  First one out is Wendy.  Just from looking at their Bios online - she said she loved to talk and is known as a chatterbox - I knew she would go first.  OK - time for my picks . . . . . . . . . . .

Top Guy - Marty

Top Gal - Holly

Overall - Marty

De

When Is It OK To Say Something

Another Cougar 1st Down

Football Weekend had lots of ups and downs - My Cougs won a squeaker against Montana State.  I didn't get to watch it though because Comcast and FSN couldn't get it together and transmit the signal - the channel finally came back up after the game was over.   and the Seahawks won their opener.  My opening weekend of Fantasy Football started the same way last year did.  My team - Scooby Gang - played Josh in the first round and my team scored really well!  His team scored even better though - he had a player that came out of nowhere and scored 58 points!  If I had played against any other team in my league I would have won!  Oh - and my back-up QB Hasselbeck scored better than my starter Romo!  I hope this does not mean that it's going to be like this all season.

Scooby Gang

Other than Football the weekend was pretty uneventful - L and E were both here.  L worked Saturday and had Sunday off.  E went to his brother's Saturday night because he had to be at work early on Sunday.  I slept in until 10 on Sunday!!  L and I went and had breakfast at Denny's then went to Target.  It had been awhile since we wandered through Target together. 

Is it OK for an acquaintance to comment on a persons eating habits or to say something that could be seen as a snide remark about their weight?  This has happened to me twice in the past couple of months from two separate people.  I know the people but we're not "friends".  I'm not blind - I know I'm overweight - I certainly don't need people making comments to make me more aware or to shame me in to changing eating habits.  Both comments had to do with candy - I have a major sweet tooth - not like I eat tons but I do have snacks.  You know something funny about all of this - I am known for having candy but if I don't have "a stash" then some people get upset because they want a little snack and I don't have anything to give them.  So which is it - "You really shouldn't be eating all that candy" or "I need something sweet, what do you have".  Oh - and I am not the only one who is overweight in this group but I am the only one that comments have been made to - think this might be a little personal?!?

De

Dilbert!

Hmmmmm . . . . . Sound Familiar! LOL!




I plan to blog tonight!

De

Mmmmmm.........

What's wrong with this picture!!


see more EpicFail

Previously On . . . . . . .

Previously on the It's A Journey blog . . . . . our writer was discussing how her memory seemed to be having problems lately.  She also wrote about how she is unable to comment on work related issues anymore.  When we left the blog there was the potential for some drama . . . . . . . . . . . let's see what happens today!

E has been working on trying to get an apartment.  He has gotten together with someone who is trying to help him get a placement through Landlord Liaisons.  One of the qualifications is that he needs to have a bank account.  Well - E kinda has the same problem as L in that he didn't really leave his previous bank on good terms - in fact he kinda owes them a bit of money.  I believe both E and L each owe their respective banks between $400 - $600!  Yesterday he went to BECU to try and open an account - they must run a bank check because he was rejected.  No bank account.  He was supposed to meet with Velvet last night so he could go over his application and discuss what he needs to do now in order to keep the process going.  Well - after getting rejected by BECU and getting paid yesterday he decided to go have a few beers - he is of legal age.  He got to the shelter at 830 to check in and to talk with Velvet - oops - a bit of a problem.  You see - if you are noticeably inebriated you are not allowed to stay at the shelter - so he had to go.  Ring . . . . . Ring . . . . . .Ring . . . . .  (This would be L's phone) 
Hey Mom - E needs to talk to you. 

• Hi E - what do you need. 

• Hi Ma - I am wondering if I can come stay with you tonight.  You don't need to pick me up or anything.  I will take the bus and walk from whichever Park and Ride I get dropped off at.

• I guess - just don't be loud when you get here because I have to work tomorrow.

I didn't hear him come in.  I got up this morning at 600 - trying to get back into the habit of getting to work early now that it's getting dark earlier these days.  So - I got up and did my morning routine in my room.  I then went out to the living room to get my shoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . there is E's friend Ian from the shelter sleeping on my couch!!  I grabbed my shoes and went back in to my room.  Now what . . . . . I could either wake everyone up or just finish getting ready and leave the discussion for later.  If you know me then you know I chose to . . . . . . . . . . . leave the discussion for later!  I got Chrissy all haltered up and took her outside.  Now - her usual routine when we come inside is to wait for me to take off her leash and then she runs across the couch in search of her squirrely that she hid there the night before.  She ran inside - went to jump on the couch - stopped dead in her tracks and turned toward me - WTH! Mom - someones sleeping on my couch!!  Not a good morning! I feel like I have become the local Plateau Shelter!

L did call me at work and she said that Ian had been with E last night when they got turned away from the shelter and that he would be leaving right now.  She also said she talked to him and let him know we were both disappointed in him because he knew he was supposed to meet with Velvet last night and he knew the rules of the shelter.  I think some of me may be rubbing off on to her!

When I got home Ian was gone and it was just L and E in her room.  Hopefully no strays show up tonight.  And hopefully E can meet with Velvet tomorrow and start getting this whole apartment issue figured out.  The countdown clock is a tickin'!!

De

I Think I Forgot Something . . .

Not even sure what to write about tonight.  I'm not supposed to write about work anymore - even though I never mentioned where I worked or who I was writing about - it seems to have caused some issues at my job.  So - there goes a good portion of my day that I can't really share anymore.  It's frustrating not to be able to get my frustrations down and out of my head.  Hopefully they don't build up and explode!  I will just have to find another outlet for them I guess.

Ever since my birthday last week my forgetfulness has gotten a little more pronounced!  Just little things here and there but rather annoying!

• Went to the Mariner's Game with Lyd last Sunday and while we were running some errands before hand I realized I had left the house without putting on my . . . . . . . . . . . .face!!  OMG! No Makeup!  We had to run by a Walgreens so I could purchase some and get a face put together before the game!  I am going to end up being that old lady that shows up at the grocery store in pajamas or no pants!
• Tonight while I was waiting for L to get off work I was eating a dipped cone I had gotten in the drive-thru.  I was reading Twitter on my phone - crunching the edges of the cone - popped the rest of the cone in my mouth.  Dang - a little on the chewy side - WTH!  I had forgotten to take off the paper that is at the bottom of the cone!
• I have an image in my head of myself making a bet with someone in regards to college football.  I keep going over it and for the life of me I can't figure out if I dreamed it or if I really made the bet.  I can't ask the person because I can't remember the face!  I hope it was a dream and that someone isn't going to come up to me and say "Hey, you owe me!!"  I won't say what the bet was or for how much on here - then I will be able to decipher whether someone is pulling my leg or if I really made the bet with them.

There may be some drama to report on tomorrow in regards to L, E, and/or life!   Ooohh . . . . a blog with a cliff hanger . . . . . . come back tomorrow!

De

I Hope Your Day Is A Piece of Cake

Well - fall is definitely here - cool temperatures and dark by 800.  Getting dark earlier makes me sleepy.  So - because I am so tired I am going to share something with you that I got from my friend J on my birthday.

'What did I do to deserve this?' or
'Why did God have to do this to me

Here is a wonderful explanation!
A daughter is telling her Mother how everything
is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend
broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.

Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and
asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the
daughter says, 'Absolutely Mom, I love your cake.'
'Here, have some cooking oil,' her Mother offers.
'Yuck' says her daughter.
'How about a couple raw eggs?' 'Gross, Mom!'
'Would you like some flour then?
Or maybe baking soda?'
'Mom, those are all yucky!'
To which the mother replies:
'Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves.
But when they are put together in the
right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! '
God works the same way. Many times we wonder why
He would let us go through such bad and difficult
times. But God knows that when He puts these things
all in His order, they always work for good! We just
have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all
make something wonderful!


Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are
here we might as well dance!

Books - Baseball - Bed

Saturday was spent running here and there - well, not actually running!! - more like driving here and there.  Took E to his job in Bellevue on my way to taking L to her appointment at Planned Parenthood.  Then it was back home to get L's cell phone and then dropping her off at work.  Got home with all good intentions to clean the kitchen - just needed to finish the last 2 pages of a chapter in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo  - Well 2 pages turned into 4 hours of reading!  Finished the book though!  Really Really Good!!  I am not on to book 2 to in the trilogy The Girl Who Played With Fire.  It is really quite sad that the author Stieg Larsson passed away before getting to see how incredibly popular his books have become.  They were all published after his death in 2004.  I read on his website that there is a book 4 mostly completed but it is a part of a nasty fight over who should have control of it.  His partner of 32 years - Eva - has no control over anything as they were not married and he didn't leave a will.  So according to Swedish law everything goes to his closest male relatives.  Yup - just the males.  The computer that the book is on happens to be in the possession of Eva and she won't let it be published unless the father and brother of Stieg give her literary control.  Oh - did I mention that the father and brother weren't even in Steig's life anymore.  It is all just very messed up.

View From My Seat

Today I went to a Mariners game.  I usually don't end up staying for the whole game but this time I did.  Not only was the weather really nice - sunny with a nice breeze - but I had incredibly seats!  I have never sat that close to the field before.  The games is so much more exciting when you are that close.  We were in the first row right behind Ichiro in right field!  Incredible!!

Ichiro!

When I got home it was rather interesting - L and E had been drinking - E's of age L is not - and they were a bit loud and a bit stumbly.  I swear it was like trying to control 5 year olds.  I took them to Target so I could play "Mom" and get E some much needed socks.  His were really gross - which I found out because Chrissy had found them and started chewing on them in the living room.  They were nasty!!  Luckily Target was having a good sale and I got a pack of socks for $5.  I then got them home safely and I sat down to relax while they cleaned my kitchen - a deal made for me having run around all day yesterday taking them too and from work.

Tomorrow is a day off from work - plan is to do laundry and a few other chores.  Both "kids" will be at work so it will be nice and peaceful - much needed peace and quiet!  Night!

De

My Birthday

My Birthday was amazing today!  It started out with going to the Starbucks Drive-Thru and getting my regular drink - Venti Non-Fat Light Whip Extra Hot 2 Pump Hot Chocolate - and it was free!  I used my Birthday Coupon that I got in the mail.  When I got to work I found this on my keyboard - I Love Twix bars!  My friend K was in the lunchroom when the candy basket was being filled and she put together a nice birthday cup full of them!  Then my friend I came back from Starbucks and she had picked my up a slice of Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake - which I had never had before and it was really really good!  Through out the day my phone would ping at me alerting me to postings on my Facebook Wall - I loved all the messages from friends!  One friend that I met in grade school who has the same birthday as me posted for me to try not and remember back in the day when our birthday would land on the first day of school!  That had me laughing!  My birthday was either spent camping in the Sand Dunes at Potholes Reservoir or going to the first day of school!  Actually - pretty good memories!  

At lunch my friend K took me over to Westlake to get something for lunch and we brought it back to eat with our regular lunch group.  Then in the afternoon we had the department birthday party - cupcakes from Cupcake Royal and BJ brought in cookies from Specialties - saying that he thought he would load it up with treats because I am always baking for everyone and bringing in such good things!  That made me happy - felt appreciated! 

After work it was time for a day of beauty with Bonnie - got my hair colored - finally - it had been quite a while and was definitely needed!  Then it was home to hang with Chrissy and have a birthday cupcake - my favorite flavor - Lemon!! 

It was a wonderful day!  Thank you to everyone for the well wishes!

De

Smorgasbord

Woke up this morning and my neck was feeling a little sore and stiff - not sure if I slept on it wrong or if stress had gotten to me - by the time I was driving home tonight I could barely turn my head to change lanes - not good!  Luckily my chiropractor's office is by my house.  I was able to walk right in and get It adjusted.  It took a couple snaps of my neck to get it to pop back in to place!  The first one made a loud cracking noise - like crushing walnuts - the other two were just hard cuz my neck couldn't turn very far.  But OMG!  When he snapped the last one - it hurt for a split second and then it was like a release of pressure!  It felt so good.  Now I am at home with ice - actually a Ziploc bag of frozen blueberries - on my neck and listening to the Seahawks game.  The game is kinda boring - preseason and not any starters playing.  College Football starts this weekend!!  WSU -vs- Oklahoma State at 4:00!! Yay!!  Celebrate My Color Is Crimson Day tomorrow and wear your Cougar Colors!!!!

OK - just had to put the "ice" back in the freezer because Chrissy kept licking the bag!!  Is that a Maltese trait - the need to lick everything and all the time!  When she rides in the car she loves to lick the windows - makes everything so smudgy!  New name for her . . . . . . Nit Wit!

Time to go charge the computer and the iPhone - I'm going to read a book.  Currently reading Girl With The Dragon Tattoo!  Really Good!  Once I got past some of the Swedish words and stopped hearing The Swedish Chef from the Muppets!  Will share more later.

De

Ring . . . Ring . . . Ring

Conversation that happened this morning -

Work phone rings at 9 - I pick it up

• Me: Accounts Payable this is De

• L: I tried your cell 2 times and I've been calling your work number.

• Me: I'm at work and I'm busy

• L: Did you get the mail yesterday and was my check in there?  If you didn't get it then I'll check the mail today so I can go cash my check.
• Me: I did get the mail and No you're check wasn't in there.
• L: Why didn't you tell me!!!  It would've been nice to know!
• Me: Well, you were in your room on the computer most of the night
• L:  I came out several times you could have told me then!  I'm just saying it would have been nice to know.
• Me:  You know what L - it wasn't a top priority for me
• L:  If you were waiting for a check I would tell you if I got the mail and it wasn't in there.
• Me: OK - you know what - I'm at work and I have stuff to do so this conversation is over.  Bye
• L:  It just would've been nice to know - you should have told me.  Fine Bye!!

I'm just shaking my head and saying - unbelievable!  J was out of his office and he said I should call her back and say - "When I got the mail yesterday not only was your check not in there but you also didn't receive an acceptance letter from UW, WSU, Central, SPU, or Western!  There was also no acceptance letter from the Army and no check from The Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes!

I then received the following text:  You didn't have to argue it, you could have easily said sorry and it would have been done.  I went in the living room a lot and how many times have you knocked on my door

I so wanted to respond with - Your 3 months are up get out of my house!!

I took deep breaths though and went back to work.

De